As children are much smaller than adults, it is easy to overlook hazards which may be present to children. Providers should be aware of the children's environments. This can be done by getting low and looking from a child's perspective to see if any dangers exist in the child care space. Dangers may include low hanging holiday decorations, electrical cords, tip-over hazards, small toys that may be a choking hazard, etc.

#2 - New Directors Health & Safety Training

Directors are responsible for hiring, training, and maintaining staff who provide healthy and safe environments for children. This course, which is required for all new directors, will focus on policies and procedures that reinforce high-quality health and safety practices. Click here for more information and to learn how to register.

#3 - Join the Empire State Campaign for Child Care

In last year's NYS budget negotiations, child care funding was reduced by $7 million - at a time when advocates were calling for sizeable increases. This completely unexpected cut triggered a lot of positive activity in the Assembly, particularly among women legislators. It also triggered the creation of a new statewide coalition focused on improving child care access and strengthening the industry - the Empire State Campaign for Child Care.

We have been a working part of this Campaign since its inception last summer. We believe it will take a concerted statewide effort to secure the increased child care funding that's needed. We urge you to join the campaign on an organizational or individual level. You do not have to be a child care program or provider to join, simply someone who understands that access to safe, quality child care makes a profound difference for children, parents, and communities. Just
click here and add your name.

YOUR BUSINESS IS OUR BUSINESS

Professional Development Opportunities

Don't miss our great trainings scheduled for you this fall.
To see what we have in store, click the training calendar link:

Children are more vulnerable than adults to the effects of cold weather. Read and share these tips with staff and parents to keep children safe, healthy, and warm this winter.

Sleeping Safely in Any Season

Keep babies' cribs free of stuffed animals and extra blankets. A firm mattress covered with a tight-fitting crib sheet is all that an infant needs to sleep safely.

If you are worried about keeping babies warm, dress them in a wearable blanket, also known as a sleep sack.

Bundle Up!

Children are at greater risk for frostbite than adults. The best way to prevent frostbite is to make sure children dress warmly and don't spend too much time outside in extreme weather.

Dress children in layers of warm clothing. If the top layer gets wet, they will still have a dry layer underneath.

Tuck scarves inside coats and jackets to prevent them from becoming strangulation hazards.

Car seats and winter coats don't mix. Bulky coats can compress in a crash and create a loose car seat harness. Instead, lay the jacket or blanket over children once you've safely strapped them into your car seat.

Keeping Healthy Outdoors

There's no set amount of time for children to play outside safely when the weather is cold. Use your best judgment. When the cold becomes unpleasant, it's time to go inside.

Have children come indoors periodically to prevent hypothermia or frostbite. A temperature of zero degrees Fahrenheit and a wind speed of 15mph creates a wind chill temperature of -19 degrees Fahrenheit. Under these conditions, frostbite can occur in just 30 minutes.

Frost nip is an early warning sign of frostbite. The skin may feel numb or tingly or appear red (on lighter skin).

To prevent frostbite, check that mittens and socks are dry and warm. Frostbite occurs mostly on fingers, toes, ears, noses, and cheeks. The affected area becomes very cold, firm, and, depending on the color of the skin, turns white, yellowish-gray, or gray.

Even though it's cold outside, it's important to use sunscreen and stay hydrated. Children are more likely than adults to become dehydrated.

Please be aware the program must ensure that each child in care for more than four hours a day receives a nutritious meal. In addition, each child in care for more than ten hours a day must receive a minimum of two nutritious meals.

WHAT'S HAPPENING AT THE COUNCIL

A Win for Child Care in Westchester!

The Council's Sandra Arasim thanked Westchester County legislators for increasing child care funding at the final public budget hearing, accompanied by members of the Council's Advocacy Committee and Board of Directors.

The 2018 Westchester County budget has been finalized and it includes $1.6 mil of new child care funding. Please thank your legislators for helping Westchester child care work better for both parents and programs!

2017 Toy Drive

Left: Toys dropped off at the Council. Right: Deborah Bobian, Bronxville Montessori School

THANK YOU for making our Annual Toy Drive a huge success! The support and generosity by our community was incredible. We would like to extend an extra special thank you to the Bronxville Montessori School (staff and parents) for the outpouring of support over the years for the Drive. It is an absolute pleasure knowing we all made many children smile!

Thanks to you, we raised nearly $54,000 on Giving Tuesday with more donors and donations than ever before. The funds are for child care scholarships, but your generosity really buys possibility and peace of mind for 10 families.

Special thanks to the Kreitman Family Charitable Trust, a Donor Advised Fund of The U.S. Charitable Gift Trust, for their leadership gift, TD Bank for sponsoring our annual social media challenge, and to our Board of Directors for matching donations.

For information about receiving the CDA credential, contact Idie Benjamin at idieb@cccwny.org or 914-761-3456 ext. 108.

Welcome New & Renewed

Child Care Programs!

New

School Aged Child Care Programs:

Taekwondo Shrub Oak Inc.

Renewed

School Aged Child Care:

Healthy Kids Extended Day Program

CHILDREN'S CORNER

Caring for Children?

Ten New Year's Resolutions for You!

It's that time of year again - time to make New Year's resolutions. Many of us, with all good intentions, will set goals to exercise more often, eat healthier, get more sleep, and the like. However, only 8% of us will achieve their New Year's goals (forbes.com).

Who succeeds? People who make SMART goals. SMART goals are:

Specific

Measureable

Attainable

Relevant

Time Bound

This year, try making resolutions that will make an impact on your work with children. You might be motivated to keep them because you know how your success will make a very positive impact on the children in your care.

Here are ten New Year's Resolutions for you. Pick one. Write down what you specifically do. Make sure what you propose is doable and makes sense for the children and program. Give yourself a deadline where you will stop and see how you are doing.

Visit the Digital Arts Experience on January 25 to learn how to keep your children safe online. DAE CEO Rob Kissner will explore how to keep your kids safe on all devices in this 90-minute workshop, teaching you how to utilize parental controls, third-party monitoring apps, and the dos and don'ts of social media, YouTube, Minecraft Mods, and online gaming.

Regular meetings at the Council for Family Providers, Early Childhood Directors, and School Age Directors provide opportunities for you to learn, share resources and support one another. These meetings are also an avenue to increase your knowledge. Each one includes a training that provides a certificate accepted by OCFS.

Providers Network:

This group for Registered Family and Licensed Group Family Providers meets 4 times a year. Elizabeth Knowles of Little House Day Care is the coordinator and can be contacted at 914-967-2707 or
Elizabeth@littlehousedc.com

Westchester Early Childhood Directors Association:

The Association meets the third Tuesday of the month from 9:00am-11:00am. Contact Howard Milbert at Ossining Children's Center at (914) 941-0230 or Dawn Meyerski at Mt. Kisco Child Care Center at (914) 241-2135 or
dmeyerski@mkccc.org for details.

School Age Directors Network:

The Network meets the third Tuesday of the month from 10:00am-12:00pm. Contact Joanne Saporta at Chappaqua Childrens Workshop at
general@ccwkids.org or Lynn Lutomski at Irvington Children's Center at
iccchildcare@aol.com for more details.

The Council is pleased to host these groups. We encourage you to attend their meetings.

News & Views

Stay tuned with what is happening at the Council and in the child care community.

Affordable, quality early care and education options that promote children's success in school and life, enable parents to work and advance in their careers, and provide a ready workforce for business growth.

On January 17, invent with your kids! Explain to them what inventing is, and let tem freely choose to invent something with these suggested items:

Pool Noodles

Boxes

Blocks

Straws

Cups

Popsicle Sticks

Paper Towel Rolls

Yarn

What's Cooking?

Whole Wheat Pancakes

INGREDIENTS

2 cups whole wheat flour

4 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp kosher salt

2 tsp ground cinnamon

2 tsp sugar

2 large eggs

2 cups + 2 tbsp fat free milk

2 tsp vanilla extract

cooking spray

DIRECTIONS

1. Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl. Add wet ingredients to the mixing bowl and mix well with a spoon until there are no more dry spots; don't over-mix.

2. Heat a large skillet on medium heat. Lightly spray oil to coat and pour 1/4 cup of the pancake batter. When the pancake starts to bubble, you may add your fruit if you wish. When the bubbles settle and the edges begin to set, flip the pancakes. Repeat with the remainder of the batter. Makes 14 pancakes.

Enjoy!

For more information on receiving reimbursements for meals and snacks contact Lindsay Tiernan at 914-761-3456 ext. 115 or email Lindsay at lindsayt@cccwy.org

Share Your News and Ideas

What's happening in your program? We want to know! You are invited to send submissions to our monthly provider newsletter, including articles, ideas, events, family friendly activities, nutritious recipes etc.

If you would like to contribute contact Juanita Pope at 914-761-3456 ext. 106 or email her at juanitap@cccwny.org.

Support the Council

Many easy ways to help!

Did you know TD Bank has an Affinity Program?

TD will make an annual contribution to the Council based on the activity of all participating members' TD accounts. If you are already a customer, or wish to open an account, visit any of their locations and ask to be included in the Affinity Program to benefit the Council.